Durango engine trouble
 

99 Durango 5.9L has started behaving really weird. It starts up more or less
fine (have to crank it more than usual), and will idle fine. When I floor it
under load RPMs won't go over 2-3K, it starts coughing, and idles very
roughly, then stalls (but sometimes will recover to smooth idle). I hooked
up ODB scantool, and all sensors seem to be in working order. Whenever it
starts stalling oxy sensor shows lean mix, and ignition advance fluctuates
wildly between 10-25 degrees. No error codes. I even reset PCM by
disconnecting battery - no joy.

I'm thinking ignition trouble... had all wires, distributor cap and coil
replaced recently with Accel hi-perf components... could it have something
to do with this???

Any suggestions welcome!!!
Peter

"Peter" > wrote in message
...
> 99 Durango 5.9L has started behaving really weird. It starts up more or
less
> fine (have to crank it more than usual), and will idle fine. When I floor
it
> under load RPMs won't go over 2-3K, it starts coughing, and idles very
> roughly, then stalls (but sometimes will recover to smooth idle). I hooked
> up ODB scantool, and all sensors seem to be in working order. Whenever it
> starts stalling oxy sensor shows lean mix, and ignition advance fluctuates
> wildly between 10-25 degrees. No error codes. I even reset PCM by
> disconnecting battery - no joy.
>
> I'm thinking ignition trouble... had all wires, distributor cap and coil
> replaced recently with Accel hi-perf components... could it have something
> to do with this???
>
> Any suggestions welcome!!!
> Peter
>
Lean mixture, coughing, long crank time.... Check fuel pressure.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

"Peter" > wrote in message
...
> 99 Durango 5.9L has started behaving really weird. It starts up more or
less
> fine (have to crank it more than usual), and will idle fine. When I floor
it
> under load RPMs won't go over 2-3K, it starts coughing, and idles very
> roughly, then stalls (but sometimes will recover to smooth idle). I hooked
> up ODB scantool, and all sensors seem to be in working order. Whenever it
> starts stalling oxy sensor shows lean mix, and ignition advance fluctuates
> wildly between 10-25 degrees. No error codes. I even reset PCM by
> disconnecting battery - no joy.
>
> I'm thinking ignition trouble... had all wires, distributor cap and coil
> replaced recently with Accel hi-perf components... could it have something
> to do with this???
>
> Any suggestions welcome!!!
> Peter
>
Lean mixture, coughing, long crank time.... Check fuel pressure.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech
hmmm double post?

check the fuel for air bubbles there should be none

Peter wrote:

> 99 Durango 5.9L has started behaving really weird. It starts up more or less
> fine (have to crank it more than usual), and will idle fine. When I floor it
> under load RPMs won't go over 2-3K, it starts coughing, and idles very
> roughly, then stalls (but sometimes will recover to smooth idle). I hooked
> up ODB scantool, and all sensors seem to be in working order. Whenever it
> starts stalling oxy sensor shows lean mix, and ignition advance fluctuates
> wildly between 10-25 degrees. No error codes. I even reset PCM by
> disconnecting battery - no joy.
>
> I'm thinking ignition trouble... had all wires, distributor cap and coil
> replaced recently with Accel hi-perf components... could it have something
> to do with this???
>
> Any suggestions welcome!!!
> Peter

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 22:05:39 -0400, tim bur wrote:

> check the fuel for air bubbles there should be none

LOL! Yeah. How would you suggest a person go about "checking for air
bubbles"?

--
If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much space.
Linux Registered User #327951

> 99 Durango 5.9L has started behaving really weird. It starts up more or
> less fine (have to crank it more than usual), and will idle fine. When I
> floor it under load RPMs won't go over 2-3K, it starts coughing, and idles
> very roughly, then stalls (but sometimes will recover to smooth idle). I
> hooked up ODB scantool, and all sensors seem to be in working order.
> Whenever it starts stalling oxy sensor shows lean mix, and ignition
> advance fluctuates wildly between 10-25 degrees. No error codes. I even
> reset PCM by disconnecting battery - no joy.
>
> I'm thinking ignition trouble... had all wires, distributor cap and coil
> replaced recently with Accel hi-perf components... could it have something
> to do with this???

You guys were all wrong ;)

It was the coil

No air bubbles in fuel as far as I can tell ;)) Fuel pump is fine, too.

Swapped back OEM coil, and it runs as new. I also measured primary
resistance on both coils, about 22Ohms on both... dunno how can I measure
secondary winding. My idle is just a tad rough now - which was the reason
why I 'upgraded' to Accel in the first place.

Now, I wonder how on earth can faulty coil account for smooth idle at first,
then spluttering/missing during acceleration, and finally settle down to
very rough idle? My only guess would be cross-induction caused by higher
voltage... there actually is TSB out for 99 Durango covering ignition wires
cross-induction. When I swapped back the original coil voltage went down and
cross-induction stoppped. If so, why did it run just fine with Accel for
several months???

Peter

very simple take a line connected to the fuel rail and place the other end
in a clear large container then run the vehicle if u get bubbles after a
few minutes the pump is shot. still laughing buthead

Dan C wrote:

> On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 22:05:39 -0400, tim bur wrote:
>
> > check the fuel for air bubbles there should be none
>
> LOL! Yeah. How would you suggest a person go about "checking for air
> bubbles"?
>
> --
> If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much space.
> Linux Registered User #327951

"Peter" > wrote in message
...
> > 99 Durango 5.9L has started behaving really weird. It starts up more or
> > less fine (have to crank it more than usual), and will idle fine. When I
> > floor it under load RPMs won't go over 2-3K, it starts coughing, and
idles
> > very roughly, then stalls (but sometimes will recover to smooth idle). I
> > hooked up ODB scantool, and all sensors seem to be in working order.
> > Whenever it starts stalling oxy sensor shows lean mix, and ignition
> > advance fluctuates wildly between 10-25 degrees. No error codes. I even
> > reset PCM by disconnecting battery - no joy.
> >
> > I'm thinking ignition trouble... had all wires, distributor cap and coil
> > replaced recently with Accel hi-perf components... could it have
something
> > to do with this???
>
> You guys were all wrong ;)
>
> It was the coil
>
> No air bubbles in fuel as far as I can tell ;)) Fuel pump is fine, too.
>
> Swapped back OEM coil, and it runs as new. I also measured primary
> resistance on both coils, about 22Ohms on both... dunno how can I measure
> secondary winding. My idle is just a tad rough now - which was the reason
> why I 'upgraded' to Accel in the first place.
>
> Now, I wonder how on earth can faulty coil account for smooth idle at
first,
> then spluttering/missing during acceleration, and finally settle down to
> very rough idle? My only guess would be cross-induction caused by higher
> voltage... there actually is TSB out for 99 Durango covering ignition
wires
> cross-induction. When I swapped back the original coil voltage went down
and
> cross-induction stoppped. If so, why did it run just fine with Accel for
> several months???
>


A temperature sensitive connection (inside or outside) of the coil could
cause this. There could be a problem with the Accel coils internal
connections or one of it's external connections could have been corroded or
loose. If it was an external connection, your swapping it with the
origional would have cleaned that up and if it is internal, the coil is
defective. When you increase RPM's of the engine, you increase the current
flow which will heat up an improper or corroded connection and cause it to
lose some or all of its ability to conduct and the coil output voltage will
drop considerably if not fail completely and will stay this way until they
cool down again.

--
If at first you don't succeed, you're not cut out for skydiving